Kai's backstory
I. Pre-Exaltation Kailani Pele, or Kai, was born into a farming family on Abalone. She was raised by her mother as well as her father’s other two wives. Her father was more often than not away at sea. Her older half-brother, Doku, split his time between helping on the farm and joining his father on trips. From a very young age, Kai helped around the farm a great deal, though she caused some consternation among her family when she refused to allow them to eat her favorite hen, Constance. When Kai was twelve years of age, while her father was home visiting with his wives, her brother took her to visit the city of Seahaven. When they returned home, they found that the farm had been destroyed by lava flow from the eruption of a nearby volcano. The rest of their family was dead. The two were fraught with grief. Though he was unsure how to both make a living and take care of his younger sister, Doku was determined to try. However, Kai was even more determined to both take care of herself, and to prevent a similar tragedy from befalling other families. Thus, she decided to become a volcano priestess. Though Kai was relatively young, one of the senior priestesses, Charin, appreciated the orphan’s enthusiasm and maturity, and accepted her as a novice. Kai traveled with Charin for about a year, until she was deemed ready for consecration to the volcano gods. For a day and a night, Kai prayed at the brink of the very volcano that had taken her family. In the night, a strange creature attacked, but she managed to defend herself, killing the beast. She sustained a deep wound in the process, but she merely wrapped part of her skirt around her bleeding shoulder and continued praying until dawn. Charin was impressed, and Kai became a priestess at the Black Temple by Mount Hamoji. Her mentor also presented her with a beautiful brown floor-length coat, which had apparently been in the older woman’s family for generations. Honored by the gift, Kai always wore the coat, despite some of her fellow priestesses’ disapproval. At the temple, Kai made friends with many of the priestesses, including an older girl, Ferra, who would become her best friend. However, the two of them also managed to make enemies of one of the senior priestesses, Thezeria. When Charin was ill and on her death bed, Kai was determined to sit with her. Ferra, too, wanted to make sure the older woman was comfortable and loved. Thezeria, however, was irritated with any time the two spent away from their duties, despite the fact that the volcano gods were not neglected in that time. She assigned them extra responsibilities, which they managed to complete and still have time to sit with their dying friend. Charin chided Thezeria for her harsh treatment, but the two senior priestesses had never gotten along, and the feud continued. Even after Charin passed on, Thezeria saved the most demanding tasks for Kai and Ferra. The years passed. Kailani worked and prayed dutifully, but was not as enthusiastic about the occasional sacrifices they made to Hamoji. Most of the criminals seemed hard and cruel, but most of the time there was fear in their eyes in the moments before their imminent demise. Her brother Doku, who was working as a fisherman near Seahaven, visited the temple occasionally. He began visiting more often later, and spending as much time alone with Ferra as he did with his sister. Kai occasionally took men as lovers, but was not as close to any of them as Doku and Ferra seemed to be. Thus, she began to worry about her friend when Ferra became pregnant. Though she didn’t say anything, knowing it would be impossible, Ferra wanted to keep the child. Kai knew this, and tried to talk to her friend about it, but the older girl did not want to discuss it. Kai was even more worried when she realized Thezeria was watching the events closely. The senior priestess would make certain that, at the slightest indication Ferra might attempt to keep her baby, that mother and child would be cast into the volcano. Loving her friend too much to allow this to happen, Kai explained the situation to her brother on his next visit. On the day of the child’s birth, before Ferra had recovered from labor, Doku took their son (for it was almost certainly his) away to a wealthy, childless family on Halcyon. Knowing exactly what had happened, Ferra was furious with both Kai and Doku, but eventually forgave them, accepting that their actions were probably for the best. II. Exaltation A greater tragedy struck, however, when Doku was charged with kidnapping—a charge which Ferra fought strenuously, but which held nonetheless. His incarceration coincided with a particularly active Hamoji, and Kai and Ferra feared for him. Their worst fears became realized when Thezeria, evoking her powers as a senior priestess, designated Doku to be the next sacrifice, even before others who had committed more heinous crimes. Kai pled with the other priestesses to intervene, but the others either did not care or did not have enough influence to circumvent Thezeria’s decision. Kailani and Ferra refused to take part in the rituals leading up to the sacrifice, instead frantically attempting to find some way to save Doku. They could come up with nothing, however, and found themselves watching in horror as he was prepared for the sacrifice. Beside Kai, Ferra was crying. Doku was looking at the two of them, clearly attempting to be strong and show a brave face, but just as clearly as terrified as they were. Kai felt something break inside. Then she felt something... powerful. Intense heat, light seeming to shine from her very pores... She breathed in, and felt power. Liquid power flowing through her veins in place of blood. There was screaming. She looked down to see Ferra lying on the ground, staring up at her with fear in her eyes. She looked toward the volcano, and saw fear and hatred in the eyes of the other priestesses. In Doku’s eyes, she saw only awe, and a desperate hope. She raced towards him, some small part of her awareness realizing Exalted, I just Exalted, I’m Anathema, most of her was just thinking now’s my chance. But before Kai could reach him, however, Thezeria’s usual look of hatred turned into pure rage, and the senior priestess heaved the bound prisoner into the volcano with all her might. NO!! Emotion and instinct overruling logical thought, Kai kept running. Thezeria actually looked fearful for a moment, convinced Kai was about to push her into the volcano in retribution, and the senior priestess hurled herself out of the way. Kai was still running, though. Then she was flying. The coat she always wore, her gift from Charin, had transformed into wings. Soaring over the edge of the volcano, she reached for the burned form of her brother, not even noticing as her own hands and arms burned, and lifted him into the air. She then turned and flew back to Ferra, setting her precious burden down before her traumatized friend. It was too late, of course. Horribly burned, almost unrecognizable, Doku had minutes left, or less. But it was something. Time enough to say goodbye. Ferra stared in shock and horror, but the horror was no longer directed at Kai. Finally, at a sharp command from Kai, Ferra crawled forward, sitting beside the ravaged form of her lover. Reaching out, but afraid to touch—even though it was doubtful his nerves could receive any sort of input by that point—her hand hovered over his chest. She whispered quietly to him, eyes filling with tears. Kailani turned away, directing a furious gaze to all of the other priestesses, daring them to take a step closer. No one did. Even Thezeria just returned her glare, not moving from the volcano’s edge. Kai was almost disappointed. She could hear, in Ferra’s whispers and gasps, the moment when her brother passed on. She turned, and gently pulled her friend aside, before stepping up to the body. Again operating on instinct, not sure what she was doing but knowing it was important, she touched the burned form, and it burst into flames, destroying what was left of the body. She looked back to Ferra. Her best friend was staring at her in pain, shock, grief, fear, uncertainty... and Kai didn’t know what to say. So she said nothing. She turned and walked away. Off the volcano, away from the temple, away from everything she had ever known. III. Post-Exaltation Her brother dead, herself presumably feared and hated by everyone at the temple, Kai felt more alone than she had ever been before. She decided to seek out the one remaining piece of her family: her nephew, Doku's and Ferra's child. She had presumed Doku sold the infant to a wealthy family on Halcyon, but her investigations suggested instead that the baby was adopted by a merchant fleet heading toward the South. In her search, she met and befriended a Tya named Pel. Pel offered passage on her ship, which was heading toward the west for trade. In the brief weeks of the voyage South, Kai and Pel became lovers. Pel even tried to convince Kai to join the crew, become a Tya herself, but Kai was not ready to commit to such a change, nor to abandon her search for her nephew. The two parted on good terms, and Kai left ship in the South. From there, she would join the Vermillion Legion, and all new adventures would await her. Category:Sunlight on the Water Category:Kailani Pele